Douglas, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Douglas, Georgia
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City
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Douglas City Hall
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| Motto(s):
Working Together to Serve You Better
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Location in Coffee County and the state of Georgia
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| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Coffee |
| Area | |
| • Total | 14.67 sq mi (38.01 km2) |
| • Land | 14.44 sq mi (37.39 km2) |
| • Water | 0.24 sq mi (0.61 km2) |
| Elevation | 253 ft (77 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 11,722 |
| • Density | 811.94/sq mi (313.50/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
31533-31535
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| Area code(s) | 912 |
| FIPS code | 13-23872 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0313591 |
Douglas is a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 11,722. Douglas is the county seat of Coffee County and the core city of the Douglas, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 50,731 as of the 2010 census.
Contents
History
Douglas was founded in 1855 as the seat of the newly formed Coffee County. It was named for Senator Stephen A. Douglas from Illinois, a renowned stump speaker who was the challenger to Abraham Lincoln in the presidential election of 1860.
Douglas was chartered as a town in 1895 and as a city in 1897. In 1895, the railroad came to Douglas and the community began to boom. In 1909, the Georgia and Florida Railway located its offices in Douglas.
The Eleventh District Agricultural & Mechanical School was established in Douglas in 1906. In 1927, South Georgia College was founded as Georgia's first state-supported junior college.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Douglas was one of the major tobacco markets in the state. Much of this history is depicted in the Heritage Station Museum, located in the former Georgia and Florida Railway train station on Ward Street in downtown Douglas.
Douglas has two areas listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the downtown and Gaskin Avenue historic districts. They were added to the list in 1989.
Geography
Douglas is located near the center of Coffee County at 31°30′27″N 82°51′3″W / 31.50750°N 82.85083°W (31.507413, -82.850799). It is 59 miles (95 km) driving distance northeast of Valdosta, Georgia, 115 miles (185 km) driving distance northwest of Jacksonville, Florida, and 201 miles (323 km) driving distance southeast of Atlanta.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Douglas has a total area of 14.0 square miles (36.2 km2), of which 13.4 square miles (34.7 km2) is land and 0.58 square miles (1.5 km2), or 4.08%, is water. Major water bodies include Twenty Mile Creek, the Seventeen Mile River (a tributary of the Satilla River), and Hilliard's Pond, which was once the ski show park "Holiday Beach".
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 617 | — | |
| 1910 | 3,550 | 475.4% | |
| 1920 | 3,401 | −4.2% | |
| 1930 | 426 | −87.5% | |
| 1940 | 5,175 | 1,114.8% | |
| 1950 | 7,428 | 43.5% | |
| 1960 | 8,736 | 17.6% | |
| 1970 | 10,195 | 16.7% | |
| 1980 | 10,980 | 7.7% | |
| 1990 | 10,464 | −4.7% | |
| 2000 | 10,639 | 1.7% | |
| 2010 | 11,589 | 8.9% | |
| 2020 | 11,722 | 1.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 3,939 | 33.6% |
| Black or African American | 6,113 | 52.15% |
| Native American | 22 | 0.19% |
| Asian | 110 | 0.94% |
| Pacific Islander | 7 | 0.06% |
| Other/Mixed | 357 | 3.05% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,174 | 10.02% |
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 11,722 people, 4,339 households, and 2,610 families residing in the city.
Douglas Micropolitan Statistical Area
Douglas is the principal city of the Douglas Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Atkinson and Coffee counties and had a combined population of 50,731 at the 2010 census.
Economy
Major employers
- Wal-Mart is the biggest employer in the area, with a retail store in Douglas and a distribution center which employs over 1,600 people. The distribution center was built in 1987 using $10 million in government funding.
- Premium Peanut
- Premium Waters
- American Insulated Wire
- Fleetwood Mobile Homes Corporation
- PCC Airfoils
- Pilgrim's
Agriculture
Farming plays a large role in the area's economy. Major agricultural products from the town and surrounding county include peanuts, corn, tobacco, and cotton. Chicken is also a major part of the economy.
Tourism
Douglas is home to Heritage Station Museum, which displays artifacts of the city's history. The World War II Flight Training Museum (the old 63rd Army Air Forces Contract Pilot School), Broxton Rocks, and the Ashley-Slater House are also popular tourist attractions in the area. All three were recently named among "Georgia's Hidden Treasures" in a segment on WSB-TV.
Douglas has ten public parks that offer year-round activities for all ages and interest groups. There are four golf courses in and around the city.
Nearby, the 1,490 acres (6.0 km2) General Coffee State Park draws more than 100,000 visitors a year and is the most popular tourist attraction in the area.
Education
Coffee County School District
The Douglas-Coffee County area is served by the Coffee County Board of Education. The Coffee County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of eight elementary schools, a middle school, three high schools, and an alternative education center. The district has 438 full-time teachers and over 8,000 students.
- Ambrose Elementary School
- Broxton Mary-Hayes Elementary School
- Eastside Elementary School
- Indian Creek Elementary School
- Nicholls Elementary School
- Satilla Elementary School
- West Green Elementary School
- Westside Elementary School
- Coffee Middle School
- George Washington Carver Freshman Campus
- Coffee County Career Academy
- Coffee High School
- Coffee Alternative Education Center
Private schools
- Citizens Christian Academy and United Christian Academy are both K-12
- First United Methodist Church provides pre-kindergarten
- First Baptist Church provides pre-kindergarten
- Akim Academy provides 1-year-old walking and up. Provides an after-school program for kids up to 15 years of age.
Higher education
- South Georgia State College is a public four-year institution of the University System of Georgia.
- Wiregrass Georgia Technical College
Infrastructure
Highways
U.S. Route 221 (runs north-south)
U.S. Route 441 (runs north-south)
Georgia State Route 31 (runs north-south)
Georgia State Route 32 (runs east-west)
Georgia State Route 135 (runs north-south)
Georgia State Route 158 (runs east-west)
Georgia State Route 206 (runs east-west)
Airport
- Douglas Municipal Airport
Utilities
- The Electric Department, locally owned and a member of the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, services Douglas with power.
- The Natural Gas Department, member of both Georgia & American Public Gas Association and the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia, provides gas to the area.
- Water and sewer service is conducted by the city's Water Department.
- The Public Works Department handles yard clippings, junk items, and animal control for the city.
Notable people
- James Brown, singer, lived here for a short time while working at a local saw mill. He was a native of Augusta, Georgia.
- Jason Childers, Major League Baseball player for the Tampa Bay Rays, member of the South Georgia College and Kennesaw State Athletic Hall of Fame
- G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and former president of Georgia Institute of Technology (1994–2008), spent his early years in Douglas. His father served as mayor.
- Greg Holland, country singer
- Lance Price, Famous Historian specializing in Coffee County and Douglas. Cousin to Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens. Country music extraordinaire, new LP titled Sweet Georgia Peach released in August 2018. Lead singer in the Trojan's glee club.
- Justin Lewis, co-founder and CTO of NationalField, a private, enterprise-based social network used by the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns of Barack Obama
- Jennifer Nettles, one-half of the country music duo Sugarland, is a native of Douglas.
- Joel Parrish, football player
- Maureen Tucker, drummer and occasional singer of 1960s and 1970s rock group The Velvet Underground, lives in Douglas.
- Greg Walker, former first baseman and hitting coach for the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox, is a native of Douglas. He was the hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves 2012–2014.
- Tyreek Hill, an American football player for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL).
- Wyatt Miller, an American football player for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL).
- Willie Spence, runner up on American Idol season 19.
See also
In Spanish: Douglas (Georgia) para niños
